River footpath stab victim named

A police investigation is under way after Asha Muneer, 18, was found murdered

A teenager stabbed to death as she walked home along an unlit riverside footpath has been named by police as Asha Muneer.

The 18-year-old part-time shop assistant was killed after leaving work at Laura Ashley on the Brunel Retail Park in Reading, Berkshire, on Monday night.

Her body was discovered lying next to the River Kennet by a jogger but it was too late to save her.

A post-mortem examination carried out at a local hospital revealed Miss Muneer, from the Whitley area of Reading, died of multiple stab wounds.

Her family and friends at Highdown School in Caversham, Reading, have been informed of her death.

Detective Superintendent Karen Trego, of Thames Valley Police, said: "We continue to keep an open mind as to the motive for Asha's death.

"I appreciate that this incident is of great concern for the Reading community and I would like to reassure them that a team of detectives working on the investigation are pursuing a number of lines of inquiry."

Miss Muneer's body was found on the unlit footpath near the Madejski Stadium at 8.30pm on Monday. No ambulance was called as it was already too late to save the teenager. Her handbag was found on the footpath near her body.

A spokeswoman for Laura Ashley said the death was "shocking" and that the teenager's friends at the store, on the outskirts of Reading, were devastated.

The footpath, which passes under the A33 dual carriageway, is popular with fishermen, cyclists, joggers and dog walkers during daylight hours.